A/N: Background and Liberties

Soma had first held a kitchen knife at age three, holding fort as second chef for now thirteen years and counting at the family diner Yukihira alongside his father- Saiba Joichirou. Yukihira Misaki, Soma's mother and Saiba Joichirou's wife, was a chef turned successful business-woman and a primary board member in the Totsuki Group under an alias-owning forty five percent in shares. However, when Soma was five, they were caught in the crossfire of a drive by shooting while the family was on vacation abroad, resulting in Yukihira Misaki's passing due to sustained injuries. Both father and son were completely devastated. Now, eleven years later...

"Disgusting!" The belligerent exclamation from a certain blonde heiress resounded the halls of the examination room. Golden pools darted up to meet amethyst ones, its red haired owner shocked beyond coherent speech. "How dare you defile my divine palette with your lowly commoner's antics." The blonde turned to her pink haired secretary-Hisako, please inform my grandfather that nobody passed the transfer examination this year."

"Yes, right away Erina-sama."

"And you, Yukihira Soma." the blonde resumed in a tone oozing superiority "Go back to your little second rate dinner where you belong. Totsuki, the best culinary academy in the nation, has no need for a commoner like you.

"Demo Ms Examiner," Soma had regained his composure from his initial shock, golden eyes narrowing as a devilish smirk took over his complexion "you looked like you were thoroughly enjoying my transforming Furikake Gohan just now."

"In your dreams." A tinge of crimson made its way onto the blonde's pale skin as she vehemently denied the redhead's claim. Soma, paying no heed, continued.

"You even took three heaping spoonfuls, and I think I heard several consecutive noises of pleasure escaping those lips of yours"

"I-I..." the blonde sputtered indignantly, her face now about the same shade as a garden tomato.

"Erina-sama," the purple haired aide pulled her flustered companion back while shooting the redhead a death glare. "You have a tasting scheduled forty five minutes from now on the other side of town. I recommend we get going."

"Very well Hisako, let's get going," the blonde regained most of her composure and with a very well practiced hair flip, spun around on her heels and stormed out of the room- her secretary following suit. Before slamming the door with as much force as she could muster, Nakiri Erina didn't forget to interject to the still smirking redhead on the opposite side of the room. "Disgusting."

"Sheesh." Yukihira Soma complained to the closed door. "What a pain." She was kinda cute when she blushed though, the redhead thought to himself. Soma wasn't concerned in the least about the result of the examination. He had noticed someone lurking in the shadows while Ms. Examiner was tasting-and enjoying-his Furikake Gohan. That someone was the silhouette of the headmaster of Totsuki, Nakiri Senzaemon.

As Soma cleaned up and organised his equipment, his mind wandered to all that had transpired that lead to him being here at the transfer examination to Totsuki academy. Yesterday when the redhead had returned home from attending his middle school graduation, he found his father, Saiba Joichirou locking the front gate to their family diner Yukihira. "Yo pops, what's going on."

"Hey sport, I'm closing Yukihira for a couple of years."

"What the hell-" Joichirou walked up to Soma and tapped him lightly on the chest with his fist.

"You know I miss mom more than you do and it hurts me to do this, but an old friend of mine called in a favor." Saiba said softly, seeing the emotional turmoil in his son's golden eyes. "Totsuki academy will be holding a transfer student examination tomorrow." A bit of life came back to Yukihira Soma's eyes. "I've already submitted your application."

"Really pops?"

"Yea sport, don't lose to anyone there before you lose to me again." A mischievous glint appeared in Saiba's eyes. "Anyhow Soma, aren't you approaching something like five hundred losses already."

"It's only my four hundred and eighty ninth loss" Soma exclaimed, "Get your figures right old man." The father and son duo were of course referring to the records of their longtime tradition of shokugekis- one that had accompanied the household throughout Soma's childhood.

"It's not as satisfying when I don't even have a single loss in my name." Joichirou chuckled, eliciting an irritated response from Soma. "I've got a plane to catch, if you can't survive until graduation at Totsuki, then you have no chance of surpassing me and inheriting Yukihira."

"It's on pops" the redhead said with renewed vigor. Saiba turned around with a satisfied grin on his face and proceeded to walk off into the sunset with his signature knife case slung over his shoulder when he remembered something.

"Oh by the way Soma." Saiba reached into his pocket and took something out. "Mom would have wanted you to have this. Soma barely caught the object, which turned out to be a set of car keys.

"Is this-" Soma asked incredulously to the now empty street. "The keys to moms old car" the redhead finished silently to himself.

"I can't believe the nerve of that guy," a still somewhat miffed blonde vented to her secretary as they waited on the street for their driver who was caught in traffic. Hisako nodded in silent agreement. "He even had the audacity to tease me after he defiled my divine tongue with his absolutely disgusting cooking." But why did she enjoy the Furikake Gohan's taste so much.

"At least you won't have to see that annoying commoner again Erina-sama." Hisako answered, trying her best to placate her companion.

"That's true." At that moment, the unmistakable exhaust note of a high performance european sports car caught the attention of the two young ladies. Both of them turned their heads to see a silver Porsche 993 Turbo S casually pass by. It was an older model and inconspicuous as most european sports cars go, yet with Nakiri Erina's silver spoon upbringing, she was able to recognize it as one of only one hundred and eighty three made worldwide, as well as its value of about forty five million yen. "Now that's a classy vehicle." the blonde said to her purple haired secretary. "A breath of fresh air from the presence of that lowly commoner." Hisako nodded in agreement.

However if the two young ladies had spent less time ogling the Porsche and paid a bit of attention to its driver, they would have noticed a rather unmistakable shade of red behind the lightly tinted glass.